Say their names : how Black lives came to matter in America

Author

Curtis Bunn

Call Number

• 323.1196 B9426 (CEN, EAS, OSH, WSQ)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2021.

Physical Description

xi, 336 ; 23 cm

Summary

"For many, the story of the weeks of protests in the summer of 2020 began with the horrific nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds when Police Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on camera, and it ended with the sweeping federal, state, and intrapersonal changes that followed. It is a simple story, wherein white America finally witnessed enough brutality to move their collective consciousness. The only problem is that it isn't true. George Floyd was not the first Black man to be killed by police-he wasn't even the first to inspire nation-wide protests-yet his death came at a time when America was already at a tipping point. In say their names, five seasoned journalists probe this critical shift. With a piercing examination of how inequality has been propagated throughout history, from Black imprisonment and the Convict Leasing program to long-standing predatory medical practices to over-policing, the authors highlight the disparities that have long characterized the dangers of being Black in America. They examine the many moderate attempts to counteract these inequalities, from the modern Civil Rights movement to Ferguson, and how the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others pushed compliance with an unjust system to its breaking point. Finally, they outline the momentous changes that have resulted from this movement, while at the same time proposing necessary next steps to move forward. With a combination of penetrating, focused journalism and affecting personal insight, the authors bring together their collective years of reporting, creating a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of racial inequality in America"--

Contents

• Why Black Lives Matter matters
• The Black carnage of the coronavirus
• Dealing with policing in America
• Church in the age of the BLM movement
• Black politics
• The rise of Georgia Black voters
• The matter of the wealth gap
• Moving on
• Hope for the future.